Guwahati : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will expand his council of ministers on June 5, with 12 legislators set to be inducted into the state cabinet. The move comes less than a month after Sarma assumed office for his second consecutive term as Chief Minister on May 12.

According to the list announced by Sarma on social media, 11 legislators from the BJP and one from its ally, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), will take oath as ministers. The BJP nominees are Ashwini Ray Sarkar, Ashok Singhal, Bimal Borah, Biswajit Daimary, Jayant Mallabaruah, Kaushik Rai, Krishnendu Paul, Nilima Devi, Pijush Hazarika, Dr. Ranoj Pegu and Susanta Borgohain. AGP leader Keshab Mahanta is also among those to be inducted.

Among the new faces, Nilima Devi is a first-time MLA, while Ashwini Ray Sarkar, Biswajit Daimary and Susanta Borgohain will become ministers for the first time. Daimary, a former Member of Parliament, served as Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly from 2021 to 2026.

The cabinet expansion follows the swearing-in of four ministers alongside the Chief Minister last month. Those inducted earlier included former Union Minister Rameswar Teli, Ajanta Neog, AGP president Atul Bora and Charan Boro of the Bodoland People’s Front. Teli became a minister in the Assam government for the first time.

Under constitutional provisions, Assam’s 126-member Assembly can have a maximum of 19 ministers, including the Chief Minister. Following Friday’s expansion, the ministry will have 17 members, leaving room for two more inductions.

The NDA secured a resounding victory in the recent Assembly elections, retaining power in Assam for a third consecutive term with 102 seats. The BJP won 82 seats, while the Congress secured 19. The All India United Democratic Front and Raijor Dal won two seats each, while the All India Trinamool Congress bagged one seat.